Building structure



Jan. 24, 1967 D. K. CABLE BUILDING STRUCTURE 4 Shets-Sheet 5 Filed June 25} 1964 INVENTOR z/fz K 6,4545 BY 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR.

Jan. 24, 1967 D. K. CABLE BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed June 25, 1964 a a M w an? .a/

United States Patent 3,299,592 BUILDING STRUCTURE Daniel K. Cable, Lakewood, Calif., assignor to Angeles Metal Trim Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed June 25, 1964, Ser'. No. 378,003 5 Claims. (Cl. 52-213) This invention relates to metal-cased doorways and archways.

The use of roll-formed channeled metal has become increasingly attractive in the construction of dwellings and other buildings, including non-load-bearing fire-rated partitions in commercial buildings. Such metal is commonly hot-dipped galvanized steel of around 25 gauge and is frequently used for metal wall studs.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel doorframe or archway structure from bent or roll-formed metal of the indicated type, which construction is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce and is easily installed in so-called dry wall construction employing wallboard panels.

A further object is to provide a roll-formed channeled metal door frame or archway frame that employs a mini mum or metal and shaping, is quickly installed about either metal or wooden studs, and is adapted for the application of edge portions of standard wallboard thereover at such doorways or archways in a fairly simple and attractively finished manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a structure which is readily adapted for use with hinged doors in door frames or for use with open archways.

Other objects of the invention and various aspects of construction will become apparent to those familiar with this art upon reference to the following specification and the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and representing a form presently deemed the best manner of practicing the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing a door frame of this invention in operative position with a door installed, portions of the door and associated wallboard being broken away to .better reveal the structural rela-' stud in use;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section showing anlarchway structure;

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views of wallboard trim strips of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 9 indicates a modified relation between a metal stud and a door frame member;

FIG.'10 and FIG. 11 show modifications respectively of the trim strip mountings of FIG. 5 and FIG. 3; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view looking upward into a finished door-frame corner.

As seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, elongated channeled metal frame members in the form of jamb elements or door bucks are installed over upstanding channeled metal studs 12 used in wall construction. The members 10 have longitudinally extending integral median channel shaped door stops 14. The metal studs 12 comprise main Web members 15 and parallel side flanges 16 with inturned short flanges 17, which flanges 16 are frictionally Patented Jan. 24, 1967 engaged by wide side flanges 18 of the frame members 10, as well illustrated in FIG. 3. When properly set to receive a wooden or other appropriate door 20, the frame members 10 are secured to the studs 12 by driving selfthreading screws 22 through the flanges 1-6 and 18. If need be, the flanges 16 and 18 may be initially held together by occasional spot wells 24.

Should the studs be typical 2 x 4 wooden studs 25 shown in FIG. 4, the side flanges 18 of the frame members 10 may be attached to the studs by nails 26. Where required, ceiling rails 27 and transverse anchor bars 28 may be employed in the wall structure, as seen in FIG. 1.

The top of the door frame is completed by a header or top frame member 30 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the same channel construction having a channel stop 32 for the door 20 as with the interconnected side frame members or jamb elements 10. Here, however, as seen in FIG. 2,

since the side frame members 10 run up to the underside of the main wall of the top member 30, the stop member 32 is cut away at its ends as indicated at 34 to fit around the upper ends of the stops 14. This arrangement avoids mitering.

When the door frame parts of a building structure have been assembled as just described, wall surfacing materials are provided in the form of wallboard sections 35 whose vertical edge portions are applied to the wide side flanges 18 of the door frame members 10 and 30 as indicated, for example, in FIG. 3. The wallboard sections 35 are retained by driving through them and into the previously described metal flanges 16 and 18, the previously mentioned self-threading screws 22. The edges of the wallboard sections 35 are desirably finished by metal trim strips 40 shown in FIGS 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. In general, these metal trim strips 40 are right angular in cross-section but are formed at their bends with elongated beads 42 which act to depress the longer or wider wall portions or outer leg portions 40a below the tips of the beads 42 for the purpose of receiving tapering layers of finish cement 44 which cover the heads of screws or nails employed, in the manner well-known in the dry wall industry. Whereas the mentioned screws 22 are usedwhere metal studs 12 are employed to retain the metal trim strips 40, other means such as the nails 26 are employed with the wooden studs 25 of FIGURE 4, such other nails being indicated at 45 and, if desirable, being somewhat longer than the nails 26. Here two sets of nails pass through each flange 18 of the door frame members 10.

In order to provide a neatly finished joint between the flanges 18 of the door frame members 10 and the narrower wall portions or legs 40b of the metal trim strips 40, different means for inter-engagement of these parts i may be employed. Thus, as seen at the top of FIG. 3

and also in FIG. 6, a tongue '50, which may be slightly curved as indicated, is provided at intervals along the trim strip 49 for reception in corresponding slots 52 formed in the flange members 18 of the frame members 19. With these tongue members 50 in the indicated slots 52, when the screws 22 are driven into the anchoring positions illustrated, the trim strips 40 are securely anchored to the frame members 10. On the other hand, the short legs 40b of the trim strips 40' may have :portions corresponding to the mentioned tongues reversely bent to form latching hooks 55 which are snapped through the slots 52 to prevent withdrawal. This arrangement is shown at the bottom of FIG, 3 and also in FIG. 7. As in FIG. 11, each hook 55 may be formed as a flat fold 55a.

Still another form of joint is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8. Here, each short leg 4% is formed throughout its length with a rolled flange 56 which is turned inward to be hidden when the parts are assembled, and such flange 56 is received in an elongated indentation or scoring 58 a in the respective side flange 18 of the frame member 10. With each of these described joints a neatly finished contact is provided at each position between the respective frame member 10 and its metal trim strips 40. In connection with the mounting of the various trim strips 40, it will be noted that holes 60 are provided to receive the screws 22, or to receive the nails 45 when wood studs 25 are encountered. Also, the respective wider legs 40a of the trim strips 40 are provided with series of slots 62 to receive overlying joint cement 44 whereby the better to anchor such cement.

For the purpose of mounting the door 20 in each instance, hinges 65 are employed which are shown as conventionally attached to the door 20 by screws 66, FIG. 3. As illustrated, the leaf of the hinge 65, which is attached to the door, is counter-sunk into the edge of the door. The opposite leaf which is attached to the respective door frame member 10 is inserted through a slot 70, paralleling, for example, one of the slots 52, as shown in FIG. 3, such leaf 68 of the hinge being spot welded in position as seen at 72. However, as seen in FIG. 4, instead of employing a slot '70, the corresponding portion of the main web of the respective frame member 111 may be counter-sunk to accommodate the leaf 68 of the hinge 65, and the hinge leaf 68 spot-welded in place as indicated at 75. Inasmuch as the door 20 will usually be provided with a conventional latch 80 as shown in FIG. 3, a typical strikerplate 82 may commonly be employed, this plate being spot-welded in position on the frame member 10 as indicated at 84. Both the striker-plate 82 and the adjacent portion of the main wall of the metal frame member 10 will be apertured at 85 for reception of the latch 80.

In FIG. there is illustrated a simplification of the structure of FIG, 3 which adapts it to use in an open doorway or archway. Here the same metal stud 12 as shown in FIG. 3 is employed, but the cooperating frame member 110 is constructed with its main wall flat, that is without the stop 14 of the other form, inasmuch as such a stop would have no function. Here the same selfthreading screws '22 are employed as before and the same flanges 16 of the metal stud 12 are used, these being spotwelded to the broad side flanges 118 of the frame member 110 if desired. The screws 22 also serve to retain the same wallboard sections 35. In this instance, elongated channeled metal trim strips 140 are employed instead of the other trim strips 40, each of these having an elongated wide inner leg 140a which is disposed between the respective wallboard section 35 and the respective broad flange 118 of the frame member 110. This cha11- nel form of the trim strip 140 :provides a narrow outer wall or leg 140]) that, to some extent, parallels the wide inner leg 140a, being interconnected with the main wall 140 by an elongated bead 142 corresponding with the beads 42 of the other forms. With this arrangement the narrow leg 14% does not receive the respective screw 22, and the screw-head is imbedded somewhat as illustrated so that it receives a portion of the joint cement 144 which fills the space within the bead 142.

With the form of FIG. 5, as just described, a smooth neatly finished frame is formed for use where merely an open doorway or archway exists.

FIG. 9 illustrates an arrangement where the metal stud 12 is faced toward the frame member 10, which is also representative of the member 110. This spaces the main walls of the metal stud 12 and the frame member for somewhat greater rigidity in the wall structure and en larges the dead air space between such main walls.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a simple metal doorway is provided which may be installed prior to the placing of wallboards in dry wall constructions, such boards then to be placed and trimmed to complete the wall surfacing.

In FIG. 10, there is shown a variation in the mounting of the wall trim 140 of FIG. 5, and it is also indicated that such trim may also be used with a frame member 10 such as employed in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 having a door stop portion 14. In this showing, trim 140 is reversed from the position seen in FIG. 5, so that the short leg 1401) is placed next to the frame member 10 and the long leg 140a is placed on the outer face of the wall board 35. In this instance, the trim strip 140 is anchored in position on the wall board 35 by means of appropriate cement or mastic applied in layers upon the adjacent faces of the wall board 35 and the opposing faces of the respective legs of the trim strip 140. There is also shown a use of two "heads 142, one of which determines the location and thickness of the joint cement 144 and the other of which is received in an elongated detent 158 in member 10 corresponding somewhat with the detent 58 of FIGS. 4 and 8. This detent 158 serves further to anchor the trim strip 140.

In the perspective view of FIG. 12, the various parts at the upper corner of a doorway are illustrated in final assembly. This showing is made in conjunction with an end view of a door frame member 10, in an attempt to assist overcoming an optical illusion often encountered with such a showing. The particular object of FIG. 12 is to illustrate how the metal portions are joined at the corners without the necessity for mitering, and how the square-cut metal trim strips 40, such as seen in FIG. 4, are likewise joined at the corners without the necessity for mitering or other angular fitting. The rightangular relation at the abutting ends of the strips 40 thus leaves a right angle exposed board portion 152. The finishing of the joints at such a corner is completed by the application of conventional joint cement 44 which covers adjacent portions of the wall board 35, including the portion 152, and the outer legs 40a of the trim strips 40 up to the beads 42.

Under these circumstances, the entire visible portion of the doorway within the surrounding joint cement 44 is metallic. Thus, the outer leg portions 40a of the trim strips 40 are covered with joint cement 44, whereas the beads 42 and the short inner leg portions 40b are exposed. The legportions 40b meet at their ends to form closed joints 160, whereas the folded flange edges at 56 of the legs 40b seat in the longitudinal grooves 58 to make tight metallic joints. Where the ends of the beads 42 meet, the resultant joint is sealed by the joint cement 44.

As a consequence, a neat doorway frame is produced which is made wholly of metal within the doorway, the metal casing portions terminating at the beads 42 and being therefore flush with the wall surface provided by the wall board 35, the joint cement layer 44, and coverings of paint or other wall finish applied thereto.

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed which are presently deemed representative of the best mode of practicing the invention, it will nevertheless be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various ramifications may be made outside of these disclosures but within thespirit of the invention as claimed.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a frame structure for a doorway through a wall of a building, comprising spaced upstanding studs defining said doorway, each of said studs being in the form of a channeled metal structural frame member having sides facing in opposite directions from said doorway;

interconnected header and jamb elements; said jamb elements being inthe form of channeled metal members corresponding respectively to said studs, said jamb element having door stops;

each jamb element having flanges lying flat upon the sides of the corresponding stud and being secured directly to said corresponding stud;

wallboards overlying said flanges around said doorway and being secured to said flanges and said studs; separate metal trim strips, each having an outer leg portion and an edge portion, said outer leg portions of said trim strips being disposed upon and substantially parallel to the outer surface of said wallboards and being secured to said wallboards, said edge portions engaging said flanges of said metal jamb elements, said trim strips being disposed at an angle to one another with end portions thereof in engagement with one another at a corner of said structure; and

joint cement overlying said outer leg portions of said trim strips and adjacent portions of said wallboard.

2. A structure as in claim 1 wherein adjacent ends of said strips are square-cut leaving exposed portions of said board adjacent their abutting ends, joint cement covering such exposed portions.

3. In a frame structure for a doorway through a wall of a building comprising at least one upstanding stud having sides facing in opposite directions from said doorway:

interconnected header and jamb elements;

one of said jamb elements being in the form of a channeled metal support member, said one jamb element having a door stop; said jamb element having flanges lying flat upon the sides of said stud and being secured directly to said stud;

wallboard sections secured to said flanges and the sides of said jamb element; and

separate elongated metal trim strips, each having an outer leg portion and an edge portion, said outer leg portion being disposed substantially flat upon the outer surfaces of said board sections to constitute finishing means for the edges of said wallboard sections, said jamb element adjacent each metal trim strip being provided with retention means for adjacent edge portions of said trim strips, said edge portions being engaged in and retained in said retention means, whereby to enclose adjacent edge portions of said wallboard sections. 4. In a frame structure for a doorway through a wall of a building comprising at least one upstanding stud having sides facing in opposite directions from said doorway:

interconnected header and jamb elements; one of said jamb elements being in the form of a channeled metal support member, said jamb elements having a door stop;

said jamb elements having flanges lying flat upon the sides of said stud and being secured directly to said stud;

wallboard sections secured to the sides of said stud and said flanges; and

separate elongated metal trim strips, each having an outer leg portion and an edge portion, said outer leg portion being disposed substantially fiat upon the outer surfaces of said wallboard sections to constitute finishing means for the edges of said wallboard sections, said jamb element adjacent each metal trim strip being provided with retention means for adjacent edge portions of said trim strips, said edge portions being engaged in and retained in said retention means, whereby to enclose adjacent edge portions of said wallboard sections;

said retention means including elongated groove means in said channeled support member and said edge portions being engaged and retained in said groove means.

5. In a frame structure for a doorway through a wall of a building comprising at least one upstanding stud having sides facing in opposite directoins from said doorway:

interconnected header and jamb elements;

one of said jamb elements being in the form of a channeled metal support member, said one jamb element having a door stop;

said jamb elements having flanges lying flat upon the sides of said stud and being secured directly to said stud;

wallboard sections secured to the sides of said stud and said flanges; and

separate elongated metal trim strips, each having an outer leg portion and an edge portion, said outer leg portion being disposed substantially flat upon the outer surfaces of said wallboard sections to constitute finishing means for the edges of said wallboard sections, said jamb element adjacent each metal trim strip being provided with retention means for adjacent edge portions of said trim strips, said edge portions being engaged in and retained in said retention means, whereby to enclose adjacent edge portions of said wallboard sections;

said retention means including slot means in said jamb element adjacent said trim strips and said edge portions having projections engaged in said slot means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,105 7/1951 Lang 52212 2,608,276 8/1952 Kelly 18946 X 2,652,907 9/1953 Miller 18946 2,660,272 11/1953 Walterman et a1. 189-46 2,725,607 12/1955 Mummert 2011 X 2,725,608 12/1955 Parslow 2011 X 2,799,370 7/1957 Sklar 5221l HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A FRAME STRUCTURE FOR A DOORWAY THROUGH A WALL OF A BUILDING, COMPRISING SPACED UPSTANDING STUDS DEFINING SAID DOORWAY, EACH OF SAID STUDS BEING IN THE FORM OF A CHANNELED METAL STRUCTURAL FRAME MEMBER HAVING SIDES FACING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM SAID DOORWAY; INTECONNECTED HEADER AND JAMB ELEMENTS; SAID JAMB ELEMENTS BEING IN THE FORM OF CHANNELED METAL MEMBERS CORRESPONDING RESPECITIVELY TO SAID STUDS, SAID JAMB ELEMENT HAVING DOOR STOPS; EACH JAMB ELEMENT HAVING FLANGES LYING FLAT UPON THE SIDES OF THE CORRESPONDING STUD AND BEING SECURED DIRECTLY TO SAID CORRESPONDING STUD; WALLBOARDS OVERLYING SAID FLANGES AROUND SAID DOORWAY AND BEING SECURED TO SAID FLANGES AND SAID STUDS; SEPARATE METAL TRIM STRIPS, EACH HAVING AN OUTER LEG PORTION AND AN EDGE PORTION, SAID OUTER LEG PORTIONS OF SAID TRIM STRIPS BEING DISPOSED UPON AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID WALLBOARDS AND BEING SECURED TO SAID WALLBOARDS, SAID EDGE PORTIONS ENGAGING SAID FLANGES OF SAID METAL JAMB ELEMENTS, SAID TRIM STRIPS BEING DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO ONE ANOTHER WITH END PORTIONS THEREOF IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER AT A CORNER OF SAID STRUCTURE; AND JOINT CEMENT OVERLYING SAID OUTER LEG PORTIONS OF SAID TRIM STRIPS AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID WALLBOARD. 